Friends of Coffee – The National Coffee Association

Here at Know Your Grinder, we’re always looking out for the people and organizations on this earth who love coffee as much as we do, and who do their part to make the world a more coffee-friendly place.

So, today, we decided to feature a very obvious choice when it comes to furthering the mission of quality coffee for everyone – NCAUSA, otherwise known as The National Coffee Association.

What Does The National Coffee Association Do?

The National Coffee Association gives its members a central hub where they can connect with other coffee leaders.

It’s a community space that allows members to find out about leaders in the industry.

It shares news, tips, and tools for the person who is involved in the coffee industry and those who want to be more involved.

The association was founded in 1911, which makes it one of the oldest associations in the world.

History and Information

In the All About Coffee section, anyone can get information about the basics of what coffee is. That information continues all the way to coffee roasting guides and how coffee impacts the rest of the world. How to Brew Coffee and Coffee, Caffeine, and Health are two particularly interesting sections of their website.

They have detailed guides that will have an impact on your knowledge of the right coffee beans for you. Like the section on Coffee Beans Around the world. There’s details about beans from South America, East Africa, and Asia. This will help you make informed decisions on the right beans for your business or your morning cup at home.

Directory

They provide a section on their website for a directory of vital industry resources “from seed to cup” at every stop on the coffee chain.

For example, there’s the Academy of Coffee Excellence in Williamsburg, VA, which holds classes for anyone interested in coffee. They have classes like Coffee Roasting Fundamental Principles and Concepts.

Sustainability

The association believes that – while there’s more work to be done – the industry has worked hard to make sustainability a large part of the chain.

From the origin of the beans to the production, warehousing, and retail aspects, the industry has made improvements – and continues to make them – all along the supply chain.

Education for Its Members

NCA Webinars

The on-demand and live webinars are available for free for members of the NCA. People who want to access live webinars will only be allowed to access the webinar live with no playback options or slides available. The association has membership options for individuals as well as organizations.

It’s a great option for those organization and businesses that want to use the webinars for employee training. There are webinars like the one that happened in May on establishing and growing a coffee business on Amazon. Every month, the association releases a webinar.

Conventions

Every year, the association hosts a convention for coffee professionals. It’s open to members as well as non-members.

There are keynote speakers and opportunities for networking with leaders in the coffee industry. There are classes and educational sessions at the convention.

Between the reception, breakout sessions, and exhibits, it’s well worth the price of admission. It’s held at some great locations, too. The March 2018 convention was held in New Orleans.

Market Research

The data that you can get from the association can influence your business. Whether you’re a coffee professional who has their own cafe or an executive at a coffee chain, the data provided the the NCA can make a huge difference to your business. The NCA National Coffee Drinking Trends report has info about coffee drinkers in America. It analyzes data like average daily consumption and what factors influence or encourage it. There are categories like apps, nitro, and cold brew on the report, too. Members get a discount on the report, but anyone can purchase it.

Reports and the Blog

Professionals who have attended the conventions have called the NCA “the voice of coffee.” On the blog and through weekly reports, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the world of coffee.

Guest posts and scientific reports will keep professionals as well as coffee lovers up to date on the world of their favorite beverage. Like the post on coffee and meeting productivity. It turns out that your colleagues are more tolerable when you’ve had coffee.

There’s so much to find on the website and as a member of the association. You can check it out yourself.

We can’t begin to cover everything here. They’ve had over 100 years of reporting coffee and bringing coffee lovers together in one place. You don’t even have to become a member to get a ton of benefit from the website’s articles, webinars, the convention, and the blog.